Vocab Unit 8 (QUIZ 1)- The Early 20th Century Wars

Impact of Franco-Prussian War and German Unification

Led to the rise of Germany as a dominant power and created long-term French resentment over the loss of territory.

Dual Alliance

A defensive alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary to protect against Russia.

Three Emperors League

An unstable alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia intended to maintain the status quo in Europe.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s military strategy to avoid a two-front war by quickly defeating France through neutral Belgium before turning to Russia.

Bismarck fired

The dismissal of the "Iron Chancellor" by Kaiser William II, leading to a more aggressive and less stable German foreign policy.

William II

The last German Emperor whose "New Course" in foreign policy helped lead to the outbreak of the war.

Entente Cordiale

An agreement between Britain and France that settled colonial disputes and paved the way for diplomatic cooperation.

First Moroccan Crisis

An attempt by Germany to weaken the French-British alliance by challenging French influence in Morocco; it backfired and strengthened the alliance.

The “People’s Budget”

A British tax reform bill that increased social welfare spending but also diverted funds toward naval expansion.

Militarism

The glorification of the military and the aggressive build-up of armed forces and weaponry prior to the war.

Mobilization

The process of assembling troops and supplies and making them ready for war; often seen as an act of war itself.

Archduke Frans Ferdinand

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination triggered the start of the war.

Bosnian Capital of Sarajevo

The location where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.

Austrian Annexation of Bosnia

An action by Austria-Hungary that infuriated Serbia and heightened tensions in the Balkans.

Gavrillo Princip

The Serbian nationalist and member of the Black Hand who shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

The Black Hand

A secret Serbian nationalist society that used terrorism to attempt to liberate Serbs from Austrian rule.

Balkans – “the tinderbox of Europe”

A region with intense ethnic tensions and competing nationalist interests where a single "spark" could cause a general European war.

Serbia

A Balkan nation that sought to unite all South Slavic people, leading to conflict with Austria-Hungary.

The Balkan Wars of 1911 and 1913

Two short conflicts that resulted in the near-total removal of Ottoman influence from Europe and increased Serbian power.

Tsar Nicholas II

The last Russian Emperor who ordered the general mobilization of the Russian army.

Russian mobilization

Russia’s decision to prep its military to support Serbia, which caused Germany to declare war on Russia.

Berlin Conference of 1878 (Bismarck)

A meeting of European powers to reorganize the Balkans; it left many nations, particularly Russia and Serbia, dissatisfied.

Serbian nationals in Bosnia

Ethnic Serbs living under Austro-Hungarian rule who desired to join a "Greater Serbia."

William’s “Risk Theory”

The German belief that building a massive navy would force Britain to remain neutral or become an ally out of fear.

“entangling” alliances

The complex web of secret and public treaties that dragged multiple nations into a local conflict.

Trench Warfare

A form of combat where opposing armies fight from parallel systems of ditches, resulting in a bloody stalemate on the Western Front.

Central Powers

The wartime alliance consisting primarily of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire.

Duma

The Russian legislative assembly created by Nicholas II, which held very little actual power.

Rasputin

A self-proclaimed "holy man" who gained significant influence over the Tsarina Alexandra, damaging the reputation of the Romanov family.

February Revolution

The uprising in Petrograd that led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the creation of a Provisional Government.

Kerensky

The leader of the Russian Provisional Government who made the fatal mistake of keeping Russia in the war.

Vladimir Lenin

The leader of the Bolshevik Party who returned to Russia to lead the socialist revolution.

Bolsheviks

A radical Marxist faction that seized power in Russia during the October Revolution.

“bread, land, peace”

The simple, effective slogan used by Lenin to win the support of the Russian peasants and soldiers.

Bloody Sunday

The massacre of peaceful protesters by the Tsar's troops, which sparked the first Russian Revolution.

October Revolution

The coup d'état in which the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government.

League of Nations

An international organization established after the war to maintain peace through collective security and diplomacy.

Weimar Republic

The democratic government established in Germany after the fall of the Kaiser, plagued by economic and political instability.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty that ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers.

War Guilt Clause

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which forced Germany to accept full responsibility for starting the war.

Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles

The historic room where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, chosen to humiliate Germany.

Influenza epidemic (Spanish Flu)

A global pandemic that killed more people than the war itself.

Alsace and Lorraine

Border territories taken by Germany and returned to France as part of the Treaty of Versailles.

Rhineland demilitarized

A buffer zone between Germany and France where German troops were forbidden, intended to provide French security.

Reparations

Massive financial payments that Germany was required to pay the Allies for war damages.